flowable/flowable-engine · error · ActivitiException

exception while sending signal for event subscription

Error message

exception while sending signal for event subscription '${eventSubscription}':${e.getMessage()}

What it means

During event-subscription handling, the target activity's behavior is executed. If that behavior throws a checked Exception, AbstractEventHandler wraps it in an ActivitiException that includes the subscription and the original message; RuntimeExceptions are rethrown as-is.

Solutions

Inspect the wrapped cause (e.getCause()) to find the real failure
Fix the underlying behavior/delegate to not throw checked exceptions or handle them internally
Declare the behavior code to throw only RuntimeExceptions, which Flowable propagates unchanged

Example fix

// before
class MyDelegate implements JavaDelegate {
    public void execute(DelegateExecution e) throws Exception { doWork(); }
}
// after
class MyDelegate implements JavaDelegate {
    public void execute(DelegateExecution e) {
        try { doWork(); } catch (Exception ex) { throw new RuntimeException(ex); }
    }
}

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Try / catch

try {
    runtimeService.signalEventReceived(signalName, executionId);
} catch (ActivitiException e) {
    Throwable cause = e.getCause();
    // handle the underlying behavior failure (cause.getMessage())
}

Prevention

Always inspect getCause() on this ActivitiException — the root failure is nested
Throw RuntimeExceptions from delegates/behaviors so they propagate unwrapped
Test event-triggered delegates with real signals before deployment

When it happens

Trigger: handleEvent executing an ActivityBehavior that throws a checked Exception — e.g. a JavaDelegate/behavior failing during signal delivery of a message/signal event.

Common situations: Custom delegates throwing checked exceptions on event trigger; I/O or transactional failures inside behavior code executed by signal; nested cause chain hidden in the wrapped ActivitiException.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of flowable/flowable-engine@d6d39ce1c6 (2026-09-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/19ae676fcfbacd09. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at modules/flowable5-engine/src/main/java/org/activiti/engine/impl/event/AbstractEventHandler.java:65

            @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
            Map<String, Object> processVariables = (Map<String, Object>) payload;
            execution.setVariables(processVariables);
        }

        ActivityBehavior activityBehavior = activity.getActivityBehavior();
        if (activityBehavior instanceof BoundaryEventActivityBehavior
                || activityBehavior instanceof EventSubProcessStartEventActivityBehavior) {

            try {

                dispatchActivitiesCanceledIfNeeded(eventSubscription, execution, activity, commandContext);

                activityBehavior.execute(execution);

            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
                throw e;
            } catch (Exception e) {
                throw new ActivitiException("exception while sending signal for event subscription '" + eventSubscription + "':" + e.getMessage(), e);
            }

        } else { // not boundary
            if (!activity.equals(execution.getActivity())) {
                execution.setActivity(activity);
            }
            execution.signal(eventSubscription.getEventName(), payload);
        }
    }

    protected void dispatchActivitiesCanceledIfNeeded(EventSubscriptionEntity eventSubscription, ExecutionEntity execution, ActivityImpl boundaryEventActivity, CommandContext commandContext) {
        ActivityBehavior boundaryActivityBehavior = boundaryEventActivity.getActivityBehavior();
        if (boundaryActivityBehavior instanceof BoundaryEventActivityBehavior) {
            BoundaryEventActivityBehavior boundaryEventActivityBehavior = (BoundaryEventActivityBehavior) boundaryActivityBehavior;
            if (boundaryEventActivityBehavior.isInterrupting()) {
                dispatchExecutionCancelled(eventSubscription, execution, commandContext);
            }
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to d6d39ce1c6)